Sorry lovies, day late (again). Please don't kill us. Anyways, this is the current last chapter, and the end of part 1 (It's probably gonna be a three-part story). We're still working on the next, so please don't kill us when it takes longer than a week. Enjoy, and please, fav/follow and leave a review!
A few minutes later, the door opened again and the King and Queen entered, followed by the Queen's lady-in-waiting, Captain Treville and the four Musketeers.
The Musketeers went to stand aside.
'Your Majesties, Captain Treville, I am glad you could make it so quick,' Cardinal Richelieu said with a slight bow.
The figure in black behind him bowed too.
'Of course, Cardinal,' Queen Anne said and she smiled reservedly. 'The Musketeers told me you had good news.'
'Indeed, Your Majesty,' the Cardinal said. 'When you asked me to find you the best possible bodyguard, I started to look everywhere. I have searched a very long time for this particular person, as it is near to impossible to track her down. But she has finally come to Paris and I managed to get her here. I can assure you that she, though her reputation may suggest otherwise, is the most reliable of bodyguards. As long as she gets paid, of course.'
'To which you will see, I assume,' Queen Anne said.
'Of course, Your Majesty,' Cardinal Richelieu said and beckoned Emmanuelle to come closer.
The assassin walked forward and came to stand next to the Cardinal.
'This, Your Majesties, is the deadliest assassin in all of Europe, simply known as the Nameless Assassin,' he said.
'What?' King Louis exclaimed. 'She is an enemy of the state! How can you trust her? She is a murderer and a thief!'
Emmanuelle looked offended.
'Your Majesty, if I may say something,' she said. 'I am offended by your accusations. You make it sound as if I am some common criminal. I am no thief. I admit to being an assassin. That is who I am. Broadly defined, it is my job to either kill people or keep them from getting killed. As long as I am paid, I will do my job. That is all.'
'But what if someone pays you more?' King Louis tried. 'What if someone bribes you?'
'There are but few people, who can afford that, Your Majesty,' the assassin smiled. 'I am not easily bribed, trust me.'
The Queen smiled too at those words.
Emmanuelle looked at her, the young and beautiful Queen of France.
'Hello, Your Majesty,' she said. 'How lovely to meet you.'
'Really?' Queen Anne asked surprised.
'Don't act so surprised, my Queen,' Emmanuelle smiled. 'The people of France love you and admire your gentle and kind-hearted nature.'
'They do?' the Queen said and blushed slightly.
The assassin nodded calmly.
'So you will be my bodyguard, then,' Queen Anne said. 'What is your name?'
'Ah… about that, Your Majesty,' Emmanuelle said. 'I have three very simple rules, which you ought to follow, should you desire for this cooperation to work.'
'Rules…?'
'Mere guidelines, though of great importance for me. I do hope you can live with that,' Emmanuelle said calmly. 'One: don't ever try to figure out my name or identity. It is one of my most valuable secrets. Two: do not piss me off or treat me like shit. I will sell you out without thinking twice. And three, do not stab me in the back, literally or figuratively. I will do worse to you.'
'Ah…' Queen Anne said slightly unnerved. 'Yes… I think I can live with that.'
'Also, please don't make me wear dresses. Though I find them quite beautiful, they are most inconvenient for those who have to be swift and near to non-existent.'
'Agreed.'
'I would like to see a display of your skill, though,' King Louis said suddenly. 'I want to see if you are as good as you claim to be.'
'Why ever not?' Queen Anne said. 'A duel between the Nameless Assassin and the best of your Musketeers perhaps, my King?'
'Sounds good.'
'If Captain Treville and the Cardinal agree as well, of course,' the Queen said.
Captain Treville and Cardinal Richelieu nodded.
'Athos?' the Captain said.
The Musketeer nodded calmly and took off his hat and cloak, followed by all his extra weapons and his jacket, which he then handed to Porthos.
'Would you mind holding my stuff for me, Your Eminence?' Emmanuelle asked.
The Cardinal nodded.
Emmanuelle handed him her hat. Then she took off her cloak, stripped herself of all her guns, daggers and knives and took off her gloves. She took off her jacket as well and revealed a white linen shirt and a black corset, which suddenly brought out her female forms. Then she put on her gloves again and drew her sword.
Cardinal Richelieu swallowed when he saw how beautiful the albino woman actually was.
He suddenly desired her deeply. He wanted to have her, in every way possible.
Emmanuelle saw him looking at her and smiled to herself.
'My God, she is actually beautiful,' Aramis mumbled when he looked at the albino.
His friends chuckled.
Athos walked towards Emmanuelle.
'First one to disarm the other wins?' he asked.
'Sure.'
'Would you like me to go easy on you?' Athos asked smiling.
'God, no,' the assassin said, slightly frowning. 'Please don't. I haven't had a proper challenge in ages.'
'As you wish, mademoiselle.'
They saluted each other.
Everyone turned silent.
A few seconds nothing happened.
Then Athos attacked. Left, right, high, low, launching, hacking and slashing.
Emmanuelle barely moved. She blocked each attack, leaned aside at each launch and deflected each blow.
'Stop playing around, Athos!' Aramis called laughing.
'I'm not,' Athos said slightly panting. 'She is too strong, too quick.'
'She's not even attacking,' Porthos said. 'She's only blocking your attacks.'
'Shut up,' Athos grumbled and continued attacking.
Ten minutes of hacking, slashing and launching later, Emmanuelle had maybe moved a few inches.
Athos was exhausted.
He took a few to catch his breath.
'Why don't you attack me?' he asked the assassin.
She shrugged. 'Oh, fine…. I'll attack…' she then said.
They repositioned themselves.
Again, Athos attacked first.
However, after having blocked his first few attacks, Emmanuelle suddenly moved forward.
Quicker than anyone ever could have been, she attacked the Musketeer. He could barely keep up with her strikes. She forced him to back up more and more.
One final hard blow on Athos' hand caused him to both fall on his back and drop his sword.
Emmanuelle pointed her sword at his throat.
'I win,' she said calmly, then held her hand out and helped him up.
'That was most interesting,' Athos said. 'Thank you for this experience, mademoiselle.'
Emmanuelle smiled and bowed slightly. 'Your Majesties.'
'Wait,' King Louis said. 'I want to know how you would do against superior numbers. You three, join Athos and fight her.'
The three other Musketeers looked at each other for a moment, but shrugged and stripped themselves to nothing but their shirts and a sword, like Athos and Emmanuelle.
'The four of them against one?' Cardinal Richelieu asked. 'That hardly seems fair.'
'Don't worry, Your Eminence,' Emmanuelle smiled. 'I will go easy on them.'
The Cardinal smiled.
The four Musketeers circled the assassin. They saluted each other and then attacked.
Emmanuelle spun around, quickly blocking each attack. Firstly, she managed to disarm Porthos and caused him to fall back.
'That's one,' she said and continued.
An already tired Athos was the next person whose sword flew out of his hand by a well-aimed hit.
'Two,' Emmanuelle smiled and ducked, dodging D'Artagnan's attacks. She leaned on her hand and swept his legs from under him, while she knocked his sword out of his hand.
'Three,' she said and turned to Aramis. 'It seems you're the last one standing, monsieur.'
'Indeed,' Aramis smiled and attacked her.
Emmanuelle smiled too and blocked his attacks. She rapidly moved forward and struck several blows.
Aramis could barely keep up with her and soon enough his weapon too was knocked out of his hand.
'And that is four,' the assassin said calmly and bowed to the Queen. 'If that is all….'
Queen Anne nodded and smiled.
She watched as both the Musketeers and the assassin put their clothes and other stuff on again.
'Unless Cardinal Richelieu has some more things to discuss with you, I would like you to start working immediately,' she then said.
'No, mademoiselle and I are done for now,' the Cardinal said. 'Though I would like it if she were to teach me some swordsman skills. In light of the recent attack on my life, of course.'
'If Her Majesty allows me one afternoon a week off, then I'd be more than happy to teach His Eminence some sword-fighting,' Emmanuelle said calmly.
Queen Anne smiled. 'I don't see why not,' she said.
'Thank you, Your Majesty,' Cardinal Richelieu said and bowed again.
Emmanuelle looked at him and smiled.
The King left again, followed by Captain Treville and his four Musketeers.
Finally, Queen Anne and her lady-in-waiting walked to the door as well.
'I will have to call you something, though,' the Queen said to the assassin.
The assassin sighed. 'If you must…. You can call me Samael, if you want, my Queen,' she said.
'That's a rather unusual name…. Samael it is, then,' Queen Anne smiled and then left the room.
Emmanuelle put her hat on and followed them.
At the door, she looked back at Cardinal Armand Richelieu and winked at him.
The interest was mutual.
